Mystery Party
by TimeGuardian
Summary: Frank, Joe and their father are in Hollywood to investigate allegations of cheating on SBN's number one reality show. When new information comes to light, can they figure out what's truly going on before it's too late?
1. One Thing Leads to Another

_Ok, I got another Hardy Boy idea. :) I am pretty busy of late, so I can't guarantee when the next chapters will be released, but I will promise to try and make it worth the wait._

_I call this one…_

_**Mystery Party  
**_A Hardy Boys Fan fiction  
By Time Guardian

_Chapter One - _One Thing Leads to Another...

_"Welcome to Entertainment nightly news, I am your anchor, Starleigh Hudson, on location in Hollywood. Though the writer's strike is now over, tonight's top entertainment news comes from the SBN studios where our own Bradley Watson is standing by with some news on the reality TV front. Bradley, are you there?"_

_"Yes I am Starleigh. I am on scene with the reality show Mystery Party, SBN's number one rated show where last night strange happenings happened on location. Behind me is the authentic Victorian style house that they built on the Studio lot to host this show. The premise of the show has ten contestants, shut into a Victorian style replica mansion that is on the studio lot. Each are told that there is a murderer in their midst, and their job is to get into their roles all the while finding which of them is the one responsible."_

_"The show, being in its second season, had started off with it's live premiere episode last night, but tragedy befell the set when in a seemingly locked room two of the contestants vanished. Upon video playback of last night's coverage, all ten contestants can be seen sitting around a table reading the first clue given them when the lights go out. When the lights came back on a minute later, the two contestants were unaccounted for. It was then quickly decided by the network to end the broadcast and air a repeat instead."_

_"The producers and creators of the show had no comment, and local police have been consulted. Back to you, Starleigh."_

_"Bradley, have they released the names of the contestants?"_

_"Yes they did. One was Amber Johansen, an IRS accountant from Washington, and Joe Hardy, an amateur private detective from Bayport-"_

Eighteen year old Frank Hardy used the TV remote to shut off the television in disgust and lounged back in his hotel bed to stare at the white speckled ceiling. So much had gone wrong since he and Joe had come to help his father, and part of the frustration was not knowing where to start looking.

Fenton Hardy was supposed to be working behind the scenes of the show under an assumed name as a technical advisor, and Joe was supposed to be on the show posing as a season two contestant looking for anything out of the ordinary. Frank was doing the legwork, interviewing people and checking out leads that were uncovered. Instead, Joe came up missing with no clues, no signs of foul play, nothing.

_C'mon little brother, give me a sign here._

The old dial style phone on the bedside table rang loudly, startling him out of his thoughts. Frank snatched at the receiver quickly and put it to his ear. "Hello?"

His father's urgent voice came over the line. "You saw?"

"Yes," Frank replied eagerly. He knew that his dad might be calling from the studio set, so staying in character was crucial. Still, what they needed now was a plan. "What do we do?"

"The Starlight roadside diner in an hour. We can eat and talk."

"I'll be there. Be careful."

Frank replaced the receiver back on the cradle and fell back on the bed. When their father had pitched to them the idea of them helping on this case, he had nearly balked. Reality TV seemed anything but. He had seen the interviews of the contestants from the first season and all they seemed concerned about was the minute or so of on air time they were getting with the various reporters that were chatting them up. However, the network execs that had called them in on this case insisted on the highest security, lest it slip that they were running anything dangerous or putting anyone in any unnecessary danger.

Frank sighed. This latest incident on live TV was but a string of events that had brought them to Hollywood in the first place. They had not pinned down a motive as of yet, but maybe if they stepped up their efforts, they could get the information they wanted and hopefully it would lead to Joe.

Pushing himself into a sitting position on his bed, he regarded his brother's unopened suitcase on the opposite bed.

_Don't worry, Joe. Dad and I will get to the bottom of this. I promise._

---

The Starlight diner was located off of a highway exit about an hour away from Hollywood. Fenton had agreed to the location with his sons because it was only a mile away from their hotel and be far enough away from any prying eyes.

Frank sat in a corner booth and picked at his food while waiting for his father. The sun was setting, but fewer people came into the diner save for the regulars. Frank had been in often enough to recognize each of them.

"This seat taken?"

He looked up at the question to find that his dad had arrived and slipped into the opposite seat in the booth. Frank noticed that his father wasn't wearing the disguise he had been using while on the set, and yet Fenton looked as haggard as he was feeling.

Frank gave his father a moment to put in an order with the waitress before getting onto business. "Has the studio found anything?"

Shaking his head, Fenton replied. "Nothing. Studio security has made a complete sweep of the house they use for the filming and they haven't found any sign of Joe or Amber. They've now broadened their search to the surrounding buildings and stages. Did Joe get a chance to tell you anything about the contestants before the premiere?"

Frank shook his head. "Joe barely had enough time to get me a list of contestants that morning before he had to report back to the set for the preparation for the live premiere. I don't get it, this is supposed to be 'reality' TV: why is there so much prep work involved?"

"Because as much as they want you to believe it, they are still presenting an image," his father replied. "In the instance of a game like 'Mystery Party' they have to work out the clues and pacing in advance, and then make sure the contestants don't go out of that pacing."

"But that's why we are here isn't it?" Frank asked as he finally started taking bites of his food.

The waitress returned a few moments later with Fenton's food, and for a few minutes they were silent as they made short work of their dinner.

Fenton pushed his plate aside and regarded his son intently. "The reason we are here is to see about the allegations of cheating on Mystery Party. This being SBN's number one rated show, the executives don't want any slipups."

"I would say two contestants going missing is a big slipup," Frank muttered. "Come on, dad. The execs suspected this from season one, had indicators that it was going to happen on season two, and we were able to do nothing. None of the season one contestants will even talk to me even before the season two premiere. Now that this has happened-"

"We have the confidentiality agreements to thank in part to that. They of course have become null and void since these allegations have come to light. Let's take this from the beginning then." Fenton explained while pondering their options, "With filming suspended, they do not need me onset anytime soon, so I can check the season one contestants out further. They don't know me yet, so I may be able to make some progress. In the meanwhile, you have a legitimate purpose to be on the studio set: I got the producer to agree to an open formal investigation into the disappearances and that is where you come in. Get in there, nose around, and interview the remaining season two contestants."

Frank nodded, and then decided to voice the one worry left on his mind. "Do you think Joe is okay, dad?"

Fenton smiled. Frank could see that his father was tired, but could also hear the determination in his father's voice. "Joe's a fighter, Frank. He won't give up and neither will we."


	2. Undercover Discoveries

_Chapter Two - Undercover Discoveries _

Seventeen year old Joe Hardy woke up to near darkness, and tried to gather his thoughts.

The last thing he had remembered, he was sitting with the other contestants of Mystery Party reading through the first clue letter in the library when the room was plunged in darkness. Rough hands had grabbed him, and before he could struggle Joe felt a needle prick, then nothing as his consciousness slipped away.

Amazingly enough, Joe found that he wasn't tied up. He found it quite an effort to focus his eyes however, and after a preliminary test of flexing his dormant limbs, he was thankful to find that he was none the worse for wear.

It took a few minutes for his vision to finally clear, so he decided to get his bearings. Pushing himself up into a sitting position, he adjusted his eyes to the lack of light and realized that he had been placed into some sort of prop storage room. Joe recognized many of the props as ones that were used on season one of Mystery Party.

Checking his pockets, he found the one lone flashlight that the show producers had allowed each player to have, along with a pen and a small notebook to write down clues. Joe took out the flashlight, and switched it on.

The pencil thin beam cut through the darkness, and verified what he already knew.

Upon one last sweep of the light, Joe's heart leapt into his throat.

The contestant he knew as Amber Johansen lay in a motionless heap on the floor. Crawling over to where her body laid, Joe put two fingers to her wrist to check for a pulse.

Nothing. Her body even felt cool to the touch.

Joe fell back into a sitting position and pondered his situation.

Shaking his head sadly, he tried to remember what little Amber had told him while they were waiting to go on air:

_The season two contestants had been sequestered in the large living room and were getting last minute direction from one of the stage hands. It was mere minutes before show time, and Joe hadn't had much chance to talk to Frank before the second season premiere, so by all rights he was nervous. _

_Sitting on the edge of the sofa, he was barely paying attention to the stagehand's final instructions. His father had asked him to become a contestant and mingle, so Joe was trying to devise a way to keep an eye on the other nine contestants and still play the game. _

_"You're shaking like a leaf." _

_The voice was feminine and held a touch of amusement, and Joe turned his head to look at who had said it. By his initial glance, the woman sitting beside him looked to be in her twenties, but with the way she wore her long red hair into a ponytail, it made her seem even younger than that. The simple red blouse she wore with her black jeans further added to the effect. _

_She laughed. "I'm sorry if I interrupted you in the middle of something. My name's Amber, Amber Johansen. You must be Joe Hardy." _

_Joe was taken aback. His father had told him to come as himself, but the staff had discouraged mingling with the other contestants so far in order to make the first episode 'more interesting' when it came to the introductions. Smiling, he decided turned on the charm. What better time to start investigating? "This isn't fair. You know me, but I don't know much about you at all, Amber." _

_Amber leaned back in the chair she was in and smiled. "Honey, everyone back where I live knows of the Hardy Boys. You vacationing solo?" _

_He nodded, keeping his expression neutral. Amber wasn't rising to his bait, and even seemed to be grilling him a little, so Joe tried a new tactic. "Something like that. How about you? What brings a beautiful woman like you to a show like this? Don't tell me you are using this as a getaway yourself." _

_Leaning back into the cushions of the sofa, Amber sighed. "You could say that. Being a bean counter for the IRS has its ups and downs." _

_Joe was ready to question her further, but their time had run out. The stage hand that had been instructing the group motioned to the door of the room. "Places everybody! We go on live nation wide in five minutes!" _

Joe looked over the dead body of Amber Johansen as well as he could by flashlight. From what he could tell in the near darkness, there didn't seem to be any obvious marks on her body, but it was hard to tell under the current limitations.

It was then that he noticed a small black rectangular shape peeking out from the neckline of her blouse.

Carefully Joe reached down and plucked at the square and found it to be a small leather case attached around her neck by a thin chain.

Opening it, Joe got the shock of his life. There in the case was identification belonging to one Amber Johansen of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

_Amber was a Fed? This puts a new spin on things. _

This wasn't making any sense. From what their father had told them, he and Frank were only here to investigate allegations of cheating on the show. If Feds were involved, that meant that there was something more here that met the eye.

The question was, what was a FBI agent doing on a show like 'Mystery Party'?

He had little time to ponder the implication because moments later Joe heard a scraping sound coming from the other side of the room. Thinking fast, Joe spotted a tall painting leaning against the wall nearest his position and quickly ducked under it, crouching into the small triangular space afforded to him.

The scraping sounds grew louder, then were accompanied by multiple footsteps. _Great a welcoming committee, the last thing I need. _

Joe willed himself to remain still. His vantage point did not allow him to see who was approaching, but the voices he heard were coming in loud and clear. There were at least both male from what he could tell.

One voice was higher pitched. "Damn. Dave, the Fed is dead. You said the drugs wouldn't harm them."

The other voice the first man referred to as 'Dave' sounded gruff and unrelenting. "well, they were supposed to only incapacitate them."

"Yeah, right. What I see is one dead woman and one missing detective. If he's escaped, our plans are out the window."

Joe heard the anger and worry in their voices. Neither of the voices sounded familiar, so that meant they were either not affiliated with the studio or the hired muscle. Neither option did him any favors at this point, so he considered his options for escape.

His choice was quickly made when he heard Dave make one last statement. "The door was locked, genius, and the only window here is only big enough for a poodle to get through, not to mention us being on the second floor. You go look over in that corner and I will look over here."

Not even wanting to think if they were armed, Joe mentally counted off a full minute. He positioned himself into a rushing position, and then made his move.

--

Edit: one minor sentence change. I swear things read differently after dinner, honest!


	3. That's Showbiz

_Chapter Three - That's Showbiz_

The next morning, Frank drove his rental car to the gates of SBN studios and flashed an ID that his father had obtained for him from the producers. The guards must have been warned in advance, for they waved him through wide-eyed, indicating that he should get over to building one right away. 

Being the number two network had its privileges, Frank decided, especially after sizing up the studio. After following a small road for half a mile through some trees, the whole area seemed to open up in its own mini city. Large white stucco buildings dotted the front of the lot, and off in the distance he could see metal-like numerous warehouse structures that probably housed a multitude of stages.

When he saw the brightly painted letters proclaiming one of the white stucco buildings as Building One, Frank quickly found a small visitors parking lot not too far from the building and parked there. 

When he reached Building One, we went through the glass doors of the main entrance and immediately noted the various portraits indicating the various shows that the studio was producing. The entrance then emptied out into a small waiting area with numerous chairs and a desk where normally a secretary would sit along with a closed door behind it. 

Instead of a secretary though, Frank noticed a nervous man pacing back and forth in the waiting area. He was slightly shorter than Frank, but judging by the tailored gray suit and jet black tie he was wearing, the man seemed to be of some importance. The only indicator of his age seemed to be his short thick grey hair that framed his head, but his skin was deeply tanned and showed little if any signs of wrinkles. 

When Frank entered the room, the man looked up nervously. "Are you Frank Hardy?" 

He nodded, and that was when the man stopped his pacing and walked up to him, hand outstretched. "I'm Martin Berringer, President of SBN studios." 

Frank took Martin's hand and gave a firm shake. "Frank Hardy." 

Mr. Berringer motioned for him to follow, and went to open the door behind the desk. "I appreciate your family's help on this. Mystery Party has been the main show that has floated us up to the number two spot in the network wars last season. Now with these allegations of cheating, I don't know what we will do." 

The office that Frank walked into was quite impressive. The outer wall was comprised of large panes of glass, so that one almost would have an unobstructed view of the entire studio. Matin took a seat at the large oak desk situated in front of the windows while he motioned to Frank to sit in the cushioned armchair situated squarely in front of the desk. 

"I know that none of the first season contestants are talking," Frank admitted, "though my dad is trying to talk to them again." 

Mr. Berringer sighed. "I have been trying to keep a lid on the controversy. I don't want to have to jettison this show if I don't have to, but when the studio gets anonymous phone calls indicating something shady going on behind the scenes, I can't ignore that." 

"Who would have a motive to cheat or undermine your show?" 

Martin gave a bitter laugh in reply. "Try half of the industry and the other studios. A hit show can generate millions in revenue because of advertisers. One wrong misstep or bit of controversy could send them away." 

"Or it could have them flocking to you," Frank countered. 

The remark hit home. The man visibly flinched, but recovered just as quickly. "I guess I had that coming. SBN studios have been a family affair since my father ran it five years ago. Five years ago you wouldn't have found a reality show in the bunch. Now reality programming is almost half of our programming. Of that, at least two or three of those shows have made the news in one way or another, both for good and bad reasons." 

Frank shook his head. Of course the head of the studio would be defensive about what was putting his studio on the map. If he wanted anymore information, he would have to change tactics. "My dad said that the first indications of cheating you were told about implicated the first season players as well." 

A beat passed before Martin began to explain. "It was the little things. Anonymous phone calls started about the time that the first season wrapped, but they were mainly written off as cranks. We get them all the time, but normally they never really amounted to anything. It was when Doug Stanton, executive producer for Mystery Party, noticed something strange about the whole thing while laying down commentary tracks for the dvd edition of the first season that really had me concerned. He is one of my best producers and his credibility is second to none. He was going to meet me yesterday to voice his suspicions, but then the disappearances happened and we have been too busy fending off the press." 

Nodding, Frank made a mental note to find Mr. Stanton the first chance he got. In the meanwhile, he had to take what he could get. "Do you have any better camera angles of the disappearances? Even in the darkness maybe there is something we can make out." 

Mr. Berringer nodded. "We had three different camera views of that room going on at once. I have the first director queuing up the playback tapes now. I even have the master DVD's of the first season there as well. There were no signs of-" 

A loud beep emanating from his phone interrupted his statement. Looking at his phone in distaste, Mr. Berringer apologized. "I better take this." 

He snatched up the handset quickly and barked. "Berringer." Moments later, his expression changed to one of frustration. "Slow down. O'Neil? What's going on? Why are you disturbing when I've-" 

Frank tensed. Whatever news Mr. Berringer was receiving seemed to definitely warrant the interruption as he watched the man's eyes widen sharply and his tone turn serious. "Send a patrol around. I'll be there in five minutes." 

Mr. Berringer hit the button on his phone and sat back in his chair, an expression of shock on his face. 

No doubt about it, something spooked him badly. Frank asked. "Mr. Berringer? What is it?" 

"They found Amber Johansen stuffed in a dumpster near the Mystery Party house." 

Frank's heart skipped a beat. She had disappeared the same time along with Joe. More than likely she was murdered, which didn't bode well for the feeling of panic he was trying to keep at bay. 

He stood quickly and motioned to Mr. Berringer. "Call the police, then let's get over there."

--

_-ducks- Ok, I know, dirty pool not picking up where I left off with Joe, but you will find out soon enough how he is faring next chapter, promise!_


	4. Red Herrings and Plot Twists

_Chapter Four - Red Herrings and Plot Twists_

_-Note: the timeline for this chapter starts a few hours before Frank's meeting with Martin Berringer-_

When he had abandoned his hiding place behind the painting, Joe saw the two men that had invaded the small storage space.

The problem was, they had seen him as well:

_Joe couldn't wait behind the painting all day, and if he was going to meet these goons, he might as well do it on his terms. _

_With an explosive burst of energy, he pushed hard against the painting. The painting itself must have had a heavy wooden frame, for it had moved slowly away from the wall and to the ground. His eyes adjusted to the lack of light, and he could just make out the two goons in question a few feet in front of him. _

_They seemed to be surprised, and Joe even heard one of them say "Get that kid", but he wasn't planning on staying long. With a rushing tackle that his football coach would be proud of, he tackled the smaller of the two men, managing to take him to the ground in one shot. He desperately hoped that was all of the distraction that he would need._

_Joe managed to roll to his feet, and managed to stop short before the other one tried to throw a punch at him. He scrambled on his hands and knees under the effort and then got to his feet. _

_It was then that he spotted the door leading out of the room. Freedom was within his grasp._

_One of the men gasped. "You are not getting away from us." _

_Too late, he realized that one of the two men had managed to hook a hand around one of his ankles. Thrown off balance, Joe went down hard. The two men then wasted no opportunity to pounce on him, and then everything for him went black._

The next time he opened his eyes, Joe was lying in what looked like a bed. There seemed to be a metal headboard attached to it, and to his dismay both of his hands were firmly tied to it. Taking a look around his surroundings, he realized that he seemed to be in another studio or warehouse, the high walls and lack of windows a definite indicator. Like the place he had woken up in initially, Joe also noticed that he was surrounded with what looked like numerous props from various different shows.

Along with the props, Joe also spotted the two men that got him into this predicament. Much to his annoyance neither seemed to be the worse for wear. Judging by the way they were eying him, the danger wasn't over yet.

The light was better in this place, and Joe could see that both men were muscle-bound, but one seemed to tower over his buddy by at least a good foot or so. The taller man had short shocking red hair while the other had longer black hair that was tied into a ponytail, and both of them had noticed that he was awake.

Joe shouted to them. "Hey! Dumb and dumber! What's the big idea?"

They walked over to him with smiles on their faces. The shorter of the two replied. "The idea is that we don't like PIs messing around our operation, right Dave?"

As Dave nodded, Joe racked his brains for options. He decided on the only thing he could do, considering the lack of info he had. "Look, I applied for Mystery Party, the same as any other able-bodied TV-watching American in these parts. The only work I came here to do was go for the grand prize."

Dave came over to the side of the bed and backhanded him hard. "We know you had to have seen the dead body of the fed. You left her ID open on her chest."

_That was because I didn't have time to leave everything like I had found it, genius._ Stalling for time, Joe laughed harshly as he did his best to shake off the effects of Dave's blow. "So a Fed was on the show too. Maybe she was just hiding her advantage so she could try and beat the rest of the players."

The other man sneered. "Nice try, brat, but Berringer gave us the score. You were undercover, so that's why we grabbed you too."

A flash of anger surged through him, but Joe chose to remain silent. If Martin Berringer had truly ratted him out, then this was knowledge that he needed to remember. "So what are you going to do with me?"

Dave sneered. "We thought we dosed you but good, but you seemed to stand up to a dose that killed a fed."

His companion grinned, syringe in hand. "The boss allowed us to use part of the latest shipment to make sure our two main challenges were out of the way. Designer drugs aren't a dime a dozen you know. For you, we will double the normal dose. Hold him down, Dave."

Drugs. It made some sort of sense in way. Joe twisted against his bonds as Dave held down his legs. The other man prepped the syringe and found a bare spot on Joe's upper arm. "You should feel lucky, kid. Most of our customers normally don't get to sample such a large dose."

Joe winced as he watched him plunge the needle deep into his skin. The greenish fluid that had been in the vial disappeared quickly into his body and his hopes went right along with it.

Satisfied that they did their job, both men stood up and took one last look at him. Dave smirked. "Sleep well, if you live long enough. We have things to do."

Joe grimaced as Dave and the other man erupted in laughter as they walked away and out of sight. Moments later, he could hear a door sliding open and then closed. A minute of silence passed before he felt reassured that he was alone.

A burning sensation had started along his arm, and Joe knew he was running out of time. He had to try and escape. While focusing on numbers, the alphabet, anything and everything to keep his mind moving, he furiously worked on the ropes binding his wrists to the metal headboard until finally he managed to wear down the bonds on one of his wrists until it split apart. 

Minutes later as he freed his other wrist, Joe could feel a fuzz creeping on the edge of his consciousness. It would have been so easy to just lay there and let himself get taken away.

_No! I can't let this thing beat me!_

Joe pushed himself up into a sitting position, and the world around him tried to tilt at amazing angles. He was thankful that he hadn't eaten in a while, else wise whatever was in his stomach would have probably would have ended up on the ground. Taking shallows breaths, Joe attempted to shake off the feeling as he pushed himself off the bed and into a standing position.

He staggered, but just managed to keep his balance. _Good going, Hardy, but the job isn't over yet._

Remembering where he had heard the door sound, Joe set off in the direction of it. He switched to his football playbook, reciting the strategies by memory. It was helping to keep his mind active, but he could tell that his efforts were slowing down. 

Eventually, he found the door. It was a sliding type, and it took all that Joe had to push it open. Sunlight flooded around him, and he had to hold his arm over his eyes for a few moments to get accustomed to the glare. 

And that is when he realized exactly where he was.

Looking out around him, Joe realized that he was in a studio about in the middle of the lot, which meant that the Mystery Party house was not that far away. Taking in as steady a breath as he could muster, Joe stumbled outside and along the perimeter of the building that he had been in. It took precious minutes, and his mind felt like it was burning by that point, but Joe was finally getting in familiar territory. In the distance he could make out the familiar contours of the Mystery House.

Funny how there were numerous security cars around the building now, along with two cop cars. He must have been gone for quite a while to generate a response like that. Hopefully his brother and his father weren't too worried.

The shallow breathing that had seen him through was now leaving him more lightheaded than before. He was running out of time.

Using the building he was beside as a prop, Joe stumbled forward until finally he was within mere feet of the scene and where he could truly feel safe.

One step, then another. What should have been a ten foot walk felt like a hundred as he finally reached one of the cop cars parked around of the perimeter of the scene. _I can't walk anymore. _

"Joe!"

Frank's worried face swam into his line of vision as Joe's body finally decided to give out. He felt himself falling forward, but was brought up short by his brother, who then lowered him gently to the ground.

Joe struggled to form one word. He had to tell Frank who had sold him out. Facial muscles he normally took for granted now barely allowed him to whisper one word.

"Berringer."

Satisfied that he had conveyed his message, Joe finally relaxed, allowing himself to slip into unconsciousness. 

* * *

_I am going to duck behind a large rock now with computer to start the next chapter. Joe is alive, I'll say that much, but did Martin Berringer 'sell out' Joe and Amber? Find out next chapter. Muwhahahacoughhahaha! (ok, so my evil laugh needs work, I've been busy!)_


	5. Emotional Rollercoaster

_Chapter 5 – Emotional Rollercoaster_

In the hospital waiting room, Frank was two steps away from losing it. After his brother had collapsed in front of him on the lot, Studio security quickly called for an ambulance.

Now that it was nearly two hours later with no word on Joe's condition, his emotions were battling between worry and anger: worry for his brother and anger at the man sitting near him.

Martin Berringer sat in the hospital waiting room mere inches from him. His face was white and his hands were shaking. If there was ever an obvious case of someone being scared, this was it.

Enough was enough. Frank stood from where he had been sitting and stared down Mr. Berringer. "Now why would my brother name you before he collapsed?"

Martin looked at him pleadingly. "For the last time, I had nothing to do with your brother disappearing or anything about his condition. You have to believe me!"

Frank shot out an arm and grabbed him by the throat. His voice was raw. "I don't believe you."

"Frank! Let him go!"

When he heard his father's voice behind him, Frank took a breath and realized what he was doing. He released his hold on Martin's neck and stepped back quickly, apologizing under his breath. "Sorry, dad."

Fenton Hardy gave him a harsh look before turning to Martin. "I apologize. Could you excuse us for a moment?"

Martin looked between the two Hardys before finally scrambling out of the room.

After he made sure that Mr. Berringer was safely out of the room, Fenton wheeled on his son, his tone hard. "What was that just now?"

"Dad, Mr. Berringer knows more than what he is saying," Frank argued. "I know it."

Shaking his head, his dad countered, "Knowing and proving are two different things - I thought I thought you and Joe better than that."

At the mention of Joe's name, Frank sobered. He called his father while following the ambulance to the hospital, and once Fenton had arrived he was immediately taken aside by the doctor for the better part of a half hour. "Dad, how's Joe?"

Fenton sighed, running a hand through his hair. "His breathing is still shallow despite being on oxygen, and his heartbeat is irregular. They have him on fluids and are keeping isolated for now."

Something about the way his father explained things bothered Frank. "Dad, what aren't you telling me?"

Fenton looked around the waiting room. After Mr. Berringer had vacated the waiting room, there was no one was there save for them, so he decided to explain.

"They did a blood workup on Joe and have discovered that he has been pumped full of a designer drug called HH."

That explained why Joe like he was dazed before he collapsed. Frank shuddered at the thought. "What does HH do?"

"In lower doses it provides a mild rush with a crash later. With higher doses it speeds up the heart and interferes with some basic brain functions. According to the doctor, with the dose that Joe received, he is lucky to be alive."

Frank let out a shaky breath. "But he will be ok, right?"

His father looked at him squarely. "I've said it before - Joe's a fighter. He hasn't given up so far, and neither can we. We have to finish this investigation so we can find out who did this. Let's get back to the studio, and this time we will get some answers."

* * *

An hour later, Martin Berringer escorted Fenton and Frank into his office and made sure two chairs were placed in front of his desk and motioned to them to sit down.

Frank noticed that Martin still had the same sick worried look he had while they were in the waiting room. As soon as the man sat down in his desk chair, he began to ramble. "I am sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances. I am a father as well and-"

Fenton held out a hand to interrupt him. "I appreciate the sentiment, but for now we have questions for you. When you and I came up with our plans to put Joe on the show and myself on the staff, we agreed that you would only let your director know what was going on. Did that change?"

Martin cast his glance downward to his desk. "I-"

Suspicions confirmed, Fenton pressed forward. "No more games, Mr. Berringer. My son is in the hospital now because someone thought he was in there undercover. Who did you tell?"

Martin finally looked back up at him. "It was unavoidable. I was meeting with the director on the set when the producers for that show broke into the meeting unexpectedly. One thing led to another and - I told them."

"We will need to meet with the director and your producers then," Fenton replied coldly, "anyone else slip your memory by chance?"

Martin looked stricken by the statement, but he finally admitted. "Well, there is my brother."

Frank perked up at that statement. "Brother?"

The man grimaced. "Dave is supposed to be a 'silent' partner in the studio, but I have to admit, he is the brainchild behind Mystery Party'. He was with the producers when our meeting fell apart."

After checking his watch, Fenton got to his feet and motioned for Frank to do the same. "Mr. Berringer, we will need access to all of those people mentioned as soon as you can arrange it."

Martin nodded. "Of course. I will call you as soon as I know anything."

When Frank and Fenton walked outside and back to their car, Frank checked his own watch. "It's four already. So much has happened today."

"Yes, but I think our day isn't over yet," Fenton replied as he looked around the parking lot. "Check out the two gentlemen in the red car over in the corner of the lot."

Frank followed his father's gaze and spotted what he was talking about. "Two guys in suits, pretty nondescript, and they do seem to be pretty interested in us. Think we should return the favor?"

"No. Let's let them make the first move."

As they approached their rental car, Fenton grabbed the keys out of his pocket. "I want to run over to the police station. I have a contact there that might be able to give us more information about the HH trade."

Frank looked over his shoulder and noticed that the two men that had taken an interest in them were now out of their own car and approaching them. "It looks like they are making the first move, dad."

Fenton stopped and decided to turn around to face them. The two men that approached them were roughly the same height, but that is where the similarities ended. One man had slightly graying brown hair, while the other was younger looking and had black hair.

It was the man with the graying hair that stepped forward first. Reaching into his jacket, the man quickly pulled out what looked like a wallet and flashed Fenton a FBI id. "Fenton Hardy? I'm Agent Starnes, FBI. This is my partner, Agent Thomas. Mr. Hardy, can we talk to you and your son in private?"

Fenton looked around the parking lot. For the time of day, no one else seemed to be in earshot. "I think I would like to talk right here."

Agent Thomas frowned. "Mr. Hardy-"

Frank cleared his throat. "Look, Agent Thomas, we have been through a lot today. Unless you have some sort of earth shattering news of some sort, my father and I really need to get going."

Agent Starnes cleared his throat and looked extremely uncomfortable as he revealed. "Amber Johansen was one of ours. Now can we talk somewhere more discreet?"

Frank's eyes widened as he turned to his dad, who held an equally shocked expression. After a moment, Fenton finally spoke. "I take it then you know of my investigation?"

When both agents nodded, he continued. "Follow us back to our hotel. That is as about out of the way as we can get."


	6. Information Please

_Chapter 6 – Information Please_.

An hour later they had made it back to their Hotel, and Fenton and Frank escorted the two FBI agents into Frank's room.

After drawing the chairs from the nearby table over to one of the beds, Fenton motioned for the agents to use the chairs while he and Frank took a seat on the bed.

"Now, there was something about Amber being an FBI agent?" Fenton prompted.

After quick glances between each other, Agent Starnes spoke up. "I trust that what we are about to tell you won't leave this room."

Fenton sighed. In his long career as a police officer before he became a private investigator, he knew that working relationships with the FBI were tenuous at best. Frankly, with all that had happened, he was in no mood for formalities. "Agents, I am slowly losing my patience here. So far all we know is that there has been suspected cheating on a television reality show and now a designer drug is involved. I take it there is a connection, otherwise you wouldn't be here."

"About a year ago, we received street reports that HH distribution had increased. Our sources reported to us that the origin point is here in Hollywood."

"That's a big risk," Fenton noted. "With the press and the paparazzi around here, not much goes by unnoticed."

Agent Starnes nodded in agreement. "Going on that basis, we started canvassing the area, looking for any patterns or links, and that is what led us to SBN studios."

Both agents went silent for a moment. Frank finally prompted. "And?"

Agent Thomas picked up the story. "We relied on informants that reported back to us about production going on for 'Mystery Party' and that there were strange things going on there, indicating that the HH drug trade is operating out of the studio, and may have something to do with Mystery Party show itself. By that point, season one was over, and casting was beginning on season two. That is why we finally sent Amber in as a contestant."

"But Amber's identity was compromised, wasn't she?" Fenton asked.

Agent Thomas cast his gaze to the floor. "Her last report indicated nothing out of the ordinary. It was the day before the premiere when we last heard from her - before she was found like that."

Frank heard the agent's voice catch and surmised that he was taking this hard. He could sympathize - he knew that it would have devastated both him and his dad if they had lost Joe.

"Has an autopsy been performed yet?" Fenton asked softly.

Agent Starnes nodded. "Doctors determined it was an adverse reaction to HH that caused her death."

Frank let out a worried sigh. "So now we know why you are here."

Agent Thomas exchanged a look with his partner before speaking up. "Word on the street is that another shipment is being readied soon. The only link we have is SBN studios and possibly this one TV show. Without concrete information, we don't want to move in yet, because it would tip off the wrong people. Trust me, we want to nab everyone involved, so the net we cast has to be tight."

"With Mystery Party suspending filming, it's too late for us to get anyone else in undercover without it looking suspicious. We are continuing efforts on our end, but anything that you find - all that we ask is that you keep us in the loop," Agent Starnes continued, as he pulled a business card out of his pocket and handed it to Fenton. "In return, if you need any of our resources, please ask."

"My son Joe," Fenton started, "is there anyway you can have a guard posted to his room? Considering what you've told me and Amber kidnapped the same time as he was, I'm afraid whoever killed her will try for him again."

Agent Thomas gave him a weak smile. "We were thinking along the same lines, Mr. Hardy. There will be someone posted to your son's room within the hour."

Relief washed over Fenton. "Thank you."

* * *

In a little used studio on the far edge of the lot, Dave was busy packing up vials of HH when the call came from his partner on his cell. when he heard the news that his partner had to impart, Dave swore under his breath and promised to call his partner back.

After he severed the connection, Dave quickly dialed a number he knew by heart and waited. After a few moments, the connection was made and he spoke quickly. "Boss? Yeah, I just heard back from the hospital. The Hardy kid is in rough shape, but he is expected to make it."

After a round of loud cursing from his boss and hastily shouted orders, Dave replied shakily, "But boss! There's FBI swarming the hospital and-"

Angry words cut him off and Dave stopped cold as his boss repeated the same orders again but in a higher pitch.

Resigned to his fate, Dave finally replied. "Yes boss, we'll get it done for you."

As he heard an audible click in his ear, Dave turned off his cell phone with a sigh and decided to pack one more box before calling his partner back.

After all, it would take at least that long to figure out how to kill Joe Hardy and avoid the FBI while doing it.

* * *

After the agents left the hotel room with a promise to be in touch, Fenton rose and stretched. "I think I am going to that hospital and look in on Joe. I want you to get some sleep and then we will resume our investigation at the studio tomorrow."

"I want to come," Frank declared.

Fenton shook his head and then put a hand on his son's shoulder. "I have some things I want to check on afterwards, and it will take me the better part of the night. I still have a few contacts here in California that might be of help with this. What I need is for you to be able to get back to the studio first thing in the morning to get to those people that Martin told us about, ok?"

Frank reluctantly nodded, knowing in the back of his mind that his dad was probably going to do more than he let on. "Be careful dad."

Soon his dad left, and he was alone once more. Frank walked back over to his own bed and stretched out on it. After trying to close his eyes multiple times, he found that he couldn't quite get the images of Joe collapsing in front of him out of his mind.

Swearing softly, he turned his head and regarded his brother's suitcase, still sitting on the opposite bed unopened.

_Hang on Joe. We're closing in on this scum that put you out of action. _


	7. Night Terrors

_Chapter 7 - Night Terrors_

_"This is Entertainment Nightly news and I am your anchor, Starleigh Hudson. We come to you again tonight from Hollywood as the mystery at SBN studios deepens. We last reported when the second season premiere of Mystery Party was abruptly interrupted as two of the contestants were abducted right from the set. Tonight we are receiving reports that both contestants have been found, but the circumstances are quite grim. Amber Johansen was found murdered on the lot, while Joe Hardy has been found unconcious and rushed to the hospital, where he remains tonight in serious but stable condition. So far there is no indication of a motive, and the police have remained tight lipped on the whole affair." _

_"As always, we will continue to provide updates as they happen. Now let's go to our reporter in Beverly Hills, who has an eye on style and the newest trends that we are going to see during the red carpet season."_

* * *

Joe Hardy felt like he was everywhere and nowhere.

His last coherent thought and sight had been when he had encountered his brother on the lot before he collapsed.

The next time he was aware of anything, his vision was overwhelmed by white walls and curtains. Joe barely registered the meaning of what he was seeing until he saw the doctors over him. He still had little control over his body at that point, so all he could do was lay there until a wave of fresh pain had him wishing for a release.

Closing his eyes, Joe let himself fall back into the darkness.

--

O'Neil prowled the public corridors of the hospital pondering his situation. He had just received a phone call from his partner Dave, and the information he had did him no favors. Their boss made it clear: the kid had seen too much, so he wanted Joe Hardy dead.

This whole situation was going to hell in a hand basket. It wasn't his fault that the kid had seen them and it sure wasn't his fault that Amber chick didn't know how to hold her drugs. Circumstances had led them to this situation, simple as that.

He rounded the corner near the hospital cafeteria and that is when he caught sight of a laundry cart parked right outside the entrance. Looking inside, O'Neil noticed a white lab coat sticking up through the piles of laundry in the cart, and that was when he came up with his plan.

--

Joe drifted in and out of awareness. Sounds were coming to coming to him in fragments, and nothing made sense. His eyelids felt too heavy to open, but at least it felt like his heart had finally calmed down.

New sounds now, like a door opening and closing. He remembered that he was in the hospital and figured that he would see doctors above his head again soon enough.

He focused his efforts and managed to open his eyes.

However, it wasn't a doctor he saw standing by his bed. The man standing above him did have on a white lab coat, but the man's height and long dark ponytail sent a shiver down his spine. Joe recognized him instantly. _Dave's partner!_

Joe tried moving, but to no avail. His body was still weak from the effects of the drugs. Before he could think anymore, there was a sudden pressure at his throat and Joe panicked. _I can't breathe! _

--

Fenton Hardy stepped off of the elevator and immediately noticed something was wrong. The hallway was too quiet. As he walked towards Joe's he noted that the room was also unguarded from the outside. It had been more than an hour since he had spoken to the FBI agents, and they had seemed determined to place guards outside.

He slowed his pace, wishing like anything that he had a better indication of what the hell was going on in that room. When Fenton closed within a few feet of the room, the door to the room flew open, and a man wearing a white lab coat tore out of the room in a dead run. Agent Starnes followed the man, hot on his heels.

The scene happened so quickly, it was almost surrealistic. Fenton rushed into the room and found things in a slight disarray. Sheets were tossed aside and a chair was turned over, signs that someone left in a hurry. Rushing over to Joe's bedside, he saw his son's chest was heaving and the red marks around his neck and realized with dread that the one fear he had about all of this had almost come true.

--

One moment, Joe was struggling for breath, then the next the pressure on his neck was released. He heard the sounds of another man enter the room. As soon as the pressure was released Joe lost track of the action as he struggled to breathe even out.

Moments later a new noise registered in his thoughts and Joe eyes darted around wildly. Had the man come back?

It was when Joe saw his dad come closer to his bed that he allowed himself to relax. His body still felt like lead, but his father being here made Joe feel more at ease. He tried to say something, but found much to his disgust that he was even too weak to do that much.

--

Fenton breathed a sigh of relief. He could tell from Joe's glazed over eyes that his son was still fighting the effects of the drug, but his son was alive. He clasped one of Joe's hands tightly. "Go back to sleep, son. You're safe now."

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but eventually Joe closed his eyes and was soon breathing much easier. It was then that he heard a soft voice come from the doorway. "Mr. Hardy?"

Fenton turned around and noticed Agent Starnes motioning for him to join him in the hallway. Reluctantly, he released Joe's hand and followed the FBI agent.

Once Fenton closed the door to his son's room, Agent Starnes gave him the bad news. "I'm sorry Mr. Hardy, we gave chase, but the man apparently found his situation desperate. He made it outside and ran out into traffic. He was struck by a car and died instantly."

Frustration warred with relief as he realized that another potential lead had hit a dead end. Fenton rubbed his tired eyes and thought through their options. "Was there any ID on him?"

Agent Starnes nodded. "The name is O'Neil. The Id card that was on him indicates that he was a security guard with SBN studios."

The name rang a familiar bell. "So all roads lead back to SBN. I have Frank going to the studios in the morning to interview the people Martin Berringer claimed were in on our undercover plan."

"In the meanwhile I will check into O'Neil's background and see if there are any drug related connections in his personal life," the agent replied.

Fenton nodded and yawned.

Agent Starnes put a hand on his shoulder. "Looks like you could use some rest. Go back to your hotel room. We will double the guard on your son's room tonight. No one will be allowed in except for the presiding doctor."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I think I will stay in Joe's room tonight," Fenton replied with determination.

Starnes gave him a questioning look before nodding and taking up a position beside the door. He would have to make a few calls to get a second guard, but he was going to make sure that Joe Hardy spent a peaceful night at the hospital.

* * *

_Hmm, you can't seem to get good hired flunkies these days, but Fenton is right: All roads lead back to SBN studios. Next chapter: Frank goes to have a chat with the people involved with Mystery Party, and we will get to see Martin's brother show up. Tune in next time, won't you? ;)_


	8. Suspects a la carte

_Chapter 8 - Suspects a la carte_

Frank got up early the next day to a phone call from his father that sent him racing to the hospital.

When he arrived in Joe's room, Frank saw his father sitting beside Joe's bed. He started to ask a question when he realized that Joe's bed was elevated. His brother laid there with his eyes open and a big smile on his face.

Walking forward with a matching smile, Frank stopped at the edge of the bed. A surge of relief filled him, and he couldn't quite keep the waver out of his voice. "Welcome back, bro."

Joe grinned and replied with a raspy voice. "Hey, can't keep a good detective team down, right?"

Frank noticed that his brother looked tired and haggard, and the bruising around his Joe's throat only served to make him uneasy. "Looks like you had a rough night."

"You don't know that half of it," he replied wryly.

Joe then recounted what he remembered of last night along with a description of the guy that had nearly done him in.

"Agent Starnes was on duty last night and let him in," Fenton commented softly, "and if he hadn't thought to come into the room and double check on this guy- well let's just say we were very lucky."

"Yeah, well the better news is that they drew blood from me earlier this morning and just finished testing it before you got here," Joe added, deliberately changing the subject. "The drug is now 90 out of my system, and the doctor says as long as I rest today I'll be sprung by tonight and I can join you guys."

"You were cleared for 'light activity' only," their father warned. "You heard the doctor - you took a dose of HH that would kill most people. We don't know how your body is going to react when it is totally out of your system."

"Face it Joe, you get to be an invalid for a little while longer," Frank added as he suppressed a chuckle watching his brother cross his arms and scowl.

"Okay fine," Joe finally relented. "So while I 'rest', what will you two be doing?"

"We will be talking to the executive producer, and Martin Berringer is supposed to be introducing us to his brother today," Fenton replied as he got out of his chair "I called them after I called Frank. They should be waiting for us now at the studios."

"Brother?" Joe asked suspiciously. "I didn't know he had a brother."

Frank shrugged. "Neither did we."

* * *

An hour later, Fenton and Frank were passed through security and given directions to a building near the front of the SBN lot. It was styled differently than the others, looking almost like an average glass paneled office building than a studio or a stage.

As they walked into the building, Fenton explained why. "This is SBN's post-production building. According to Martin, they do most of their post production sound work here, along with the executives being able to preview the final product before it is distributed."

The guard at the entrance directed them to the third floor and after a quick trip in the elevator, they stepped out to find Martin Berringer deep in conversation with a man that they had never seen before.

Frank and Fenton approached the pair, and that was when Martin Berringer turned from his conversation to address them. "Ah, here you are. Fenton, Frank, I'd like for you to meet my brother, David Berringer."

David offered a handshake to each of them. Frank noticed that he had a pretty strong grip. Dressed in a tailored suit, David was quite a contrast from Martin and noticeably younger and taller with his red hair and well toned body. His voice was smooth as glass when he greeted them. "It's good to meet the both of you. Martin told me all about your plans, and I am sorry they haven't worked out so far."

Something about this guy was throwing Frank's instincts into overdrive, but his dad took the initiative by replying. "Well, we are doing everything we can to make sure whoever is using 'Mystery Party' for their ends will be dealt with."

David's reply was decidedly low key. "Ah yes. Well Martin, the directors are in the viewing room watching the footage you requested the review on. Shall we join them?"

"Yes," Martin replied eagerly, "I apologize gentlemen, but there are some important scenes that we need to sort out with the directors, so you will have to meet them later. The executive producer is in one of the offices at the end of the hall. His name is Doug Stanton, and as I promised Fenton this morning, he is ready to talk to you two. Now if you will excuse us."

Frank stood to one side as Martin and David headed towards the elevator that they had just vacated. He and his father then followed the hallway as instructed, eventually finding a glass paneled office right at the end of the hall.

Within the office, they could see an older graying man sitting in front of what looked like personal viewing equipment. When Fenton knocked on the door to the office, Frank saw that the man had turned around and motioned to them through the glass panel. "He's asking us to come in, dad."

"Well then," Fenton replied, "let's see what the executive producer of Mystery Party has to say."

They both entered the office, and the man that they had seen offered a hand to each of them. His voice was rich with age as they both shook hands with him. "It's good to meet the both of you, Fenton and Frank Hardy, is it? My name is Doug Stanton. I had been harassing Marty to meet up with you guys since you first arrived in Hollywood."

Frank and Fenton took a seat in two simple office chairs that had been placed in front of the desk where Doug stood.

As Doug sat back down, Frank spoke up, "Mr. Berringer had told me that you had discovered something unusual when you were reviewing the DVD master copies of the first season."

Doug turned to his viewing equipment. "So I have. I have to tell you, I have been in the television business for quite a while. I cut my teeth as a director on some of the earlier comedies in the 80's and on a few quiz shows in the early 90's. It wasn't until reality programs came into their own did I finally find my niche in reality TV. Martin Berringer hired me as executive producer for this show because he liked my experience, or so he told me."

His hands flew over the controls of his viewing equipment, until a particular image came on the screen of a girl. "Gentlemen, I would like for you to meet Sasha Jensen, season one winner of Mystery Party."

Frank looked at the girl on the screen and had recognized her from photos that they had been given at the beginning of the investigation. She looked to be in her early twenties, deeply tanned, and with short red hair that just barely touched her shoulders. "So, Mr. Stanton, what about her has you suspicious?"

Doug laughed. "To the point, aren't you? My point is that she isn't every thing that she seems. Watch this few seconds of clip that we gathered from her audition tape."

Frank and Fenton watched as Doug queued up the images in question. Doug had the audio turned down, so all they could see was a poised Sasha, walking through what looked like a pretty high end apartment. Her body language seemed totally relaxed as she talked for the duration of the clip.

"Okay, that was Sasha as we had initially met her," Doug stated as he manipulated the footage until he had one new scene ready to play. "Now watch this scene, where Sasha has a one-on-one confessional with the camera."

Frank watched in fascination as the scene started to play, and he recognized the Mystery Party scenery behind Sasha as she talked energetically towards the camera, her hands moving in a variety of poses and gestures. "She's pretty expressive."

Doug shook his head vehemently. "I've been in this business long enough to know, fellas. People that are nervous in front of the camera do have their nervous habits, but it's the same nervous habits each and every time. I have a least half a dozen one-on-one scenes I can show you with Sasha. That gal is doing something different with her hands each time, but it is clear that they are some sort of gestures."

"That could still be construed as nervousness," Fenton mused. "What we need is more definitive proof."

"Proof you say?" Doug huffed. "How about at least four interviews after her win, three of those being in a closed one on one setting with a TV reporter. She shows signs of being nervous in all of them, but her hands don't move in any of them."

Intrigued, Frank took a look back at the monitor where Doug paused the scene with Sasha in mid-expression. "Mr. Stanton, so what you are implying is that she is signaling somebody?"

Doug nodded. "Precisely. It's not any conventional sign language that I know of, so I am wondering what she was trying to communicate and to who."

Frank pondered this revelation as he turned in his chair, and that was when he caught sight of movement out of the corner of his eye. When he turned around and looked through the glass wall, he spotted a masked man dressed all in black. That was also when Frank realized that the man had a gun aimed in their direction!

He shouted a warning and then dived for the floor. "Everybody down!"

Doug and his father looked confused for a moment until seconds later the glass wall of the office shattered under a hail of bullets. Seconds later when things went silent, Frank ventured a look around. "Are you two all right?"

His father looked none the worse for wear, but he was bent over Doug who was on the ground moaning and clutching his shoulder.

Frank turned around and got to his feet, all the while being mindful of the glass. His eye on the hallway, he had managed to catch a fleeting glance of which direction the gunman went. There was little time to waste.

He took off running, but lost sight of the man as he quickly hit the door for the stairs.

--

Frank raced down both flights of stairs until he hit the first floor door that emptied out into the parking lot and the nearby studio road. He stepped out into the parking lot, blinking his eyes against the glare of the sun. He tried to get his bearings until he heard the sound of an approaching car behind him.

Turning quickly around he realized that the car wasn't planning on stopping. He had to move and fast.

Frank dived for the open doorway as the car sped past where he had been standing only moments before. His heart beating like a jackhammer, Frank shakily got to his feet and considered what he had just seen. For a moment there, he could have sworn that the driver of that car was wearing a tailored suit that looked very familiar.

"Frank!"

Looking around wildly, he saw that his father had followed his same path and had come up behind him.

With a relieved look in his eyes, Fenton put a hand on Frank's shoulder. "Are you all right, son?"

Frank nodded as he glanced over at where he had seen the car come past. The roads within the studio lot were narrow and full of many hiding places. If he had any hopes that he could catch up with whoever had shot at the room they were in, they were dashed now.

Fenton stated. "The sound techs from the next lab over from that office are with Doug right now. He took two bullets to the shoulder and they're calling an ambulance for him."

Frank looked around as he caught his breath. "There's no doubt about this now in my eyes. Doug saw what was happening, that's probably why he got shot. This winner from last season, this Sasha Jensen- she could be the key to all of this."

"And she could be in danger," Fenton added. "It's beginning to look like anyone that is caught up in this is fair game."

"If she's based in New York like her bio says-" Frank mused, "hmm, Callie is interning as a junior reporter with the regional Bayport paper, she would have a valid reason to contact Sasha for an interview."

"Contact her then," his dad urged, "meanwhile I am going to make sure those DVD master copies are put into a safe place. If this is going the way I think it's going, the FBI will be very interested in seeing them."

* * *

_Well, we have met quite a few new people, and an interesting possibility emerges. Could Sasha had been signaling somebody? I'm not telling yet. ;)_

_Hope to see you next time. _


	9. Discoveries and Schemes

Chapter 9 - Discoveries and Schemes

After his father decided to stay at the scene to meet with the police and the FBI, Frank opted to be the one to go back to the hospital and pick up Joe. However, before he went inside, he wanted to touch base with Callie to get information on Sasha.

A skeptical Callie Shaw squawked over the phone when he presented his idea. "Waitaminute, Frank, you want me to do what?"

Frank cringed as he held his cell phone a few inches from his ear before bringing it back closer to plead his case. "Callie, surely being on one of the biggest papers in the Bayport area has its advantages," he cajoled. "Please, I wouldn't ask if it wasn't important. We need a better line on this Sasha Jensen and according to the information that the studio has, she lives in New York. You would be in a better position to reach her than we would."

A moment of silence and then Frank heard an audible sigh. "I'll see what can I do Frank, though I can't make any promises. I've been keeping up with this SBN business through the TV news reports. How's Joe?"

Looking at his watch, Frank made a move to get out of the car. "He's better and chomping at the bit to get out of the hospital. I'm supposed to be springing him now."

"Good to hear," she replied. "Tell you what, I have a few sources that I have been introduced to here that wouldn't mind a few late night calls. I'll see what I can roust for you now. Where can I reach you?"

Frank rattled off the phone number of his hotel room and with the promise of dinner and a movie when he got back home, he severed the connection and walked into the hospital.

--

Joe was grateful to see Frank and after all of the necessary paperwork was filled out along with one final lecture by the doctor, the hospital released Joe. Frank was finally able to wheel his brother outside to their car in a wheelchair an hour later.

"So where's dad?" Joe asked as Frank pulled out and drove them back to the hotel.

Frank gave him a wry grin as he focused on the road. "Let's just say that a lot has happened since you have been out of things. Let's get back to the hotel and then we can truly swap stories."

Once they got back to their hotel room, Joe found that he needed to lean on Frank in order to make it inside the room. Moving Joe's suitacse out of the way, Frank was able to then let Joe rest on the opposite bed in a sitting position.

"I feel like all of my strength has been sapped," Joe groused as he fluffed up pillows. Putting them behind his head and back, he was then able to lean back and relax.

Frank sat on his own bed and gave him a sympathetic glance. "I wouldn't doubt it. We sprung you before you could get a decent meal. Let me see if we can rectify that situation."

He left the room and returned soon after with sandwiches and drinks from the diner. After the brothers made short work of them, Joe spoke up with a satisfied grin. "Ah, I feel remotely human again. Hand me the laptop and then we can compare notes."

Grabbing for his suitcase, Frank opened it and took out a small laptop computer and handed it to Joe.

"Okay, let's think this through," Frank said as he began to pace the length of their hotel room. "Take me through from the time you were on set to the time you escaped."

Joe took Frank through the events of the past few hours, including what he remembered about the two thugs that had recaptured him.

The phone on nightstand rang and Frank made a quick move for it. "I better get this. Callie was supposed to call me back."

Joe watched in intrest as Frank spoke on the phone. "Hello. Callie, slow down. What? How? Okay, okay. We will have to deal with it then. Yes we'll be careful, don't worry so much. Bye."

As Frank hung up the phone, Joe's curiousity was piqued. "Care to tell me what had Callie riled up?"

Frank sat down on his own bed with a puzzled look on his face. "It doesn't make sense. She called a few of her contacts she has at the paper. Sasha Jensen, the season one winner, is no where to be found in New York. It's not for lack of trying either. Callie said that the entertainment news shows there are eating this new development up since so much has happened with the show here."

Joe opened the laptop and powered it on. "Well then, if the woman of the hour is MIA, we need to check the obvious places and transportation." After a moment of typing, he accessed a few airline sites. It took nearly a half hour, but he finally found a site that had the information he was looking for. "Sasha took off on a commercial flight to California yesterday. This confirms what Callie was telling us."

"Something's not right here," Frank muttered. "Martin Berringer came across as a man with something to hide, and based on your description of the other guy that had kidnapped you, that sounds suspiciously like Dave Berringer. If either or both of the Berringer brothers are the ringleaders here, it would make no sense for Sasha to come back here. She's been paid as the season one prizewinner, she would have more than enough to go back to her normal life or disappear."

Joe replied as he shut down the laptop and leaned back against his bed. "Unless she's neck deep in all of this too."

"Multiple players - something about the way this was handled is bothering me. Everything about these murder attempts were very amateurish at best. I don't think we've even hit the tip of the iceberg, but until we get more information we will have to go with it," Frank replied as he got to his feet. "I promised dad after I got you settled back into our room that I would meet him back at the studios, so I better get going."

"I suppose coming with you is out of the question?"

Frank turned to Joe and grinned. "If you can walk a straight line from here to the door without my help you can."

Joe scowled at him. "I hate it when you make sense. Just be careful, ok? These people may be amateurs as you say, but they did kill an FBI agent."

_And they almost killed you too_ - Frank wanted to remind him, but he bit back the words, settling on reassuring his brother. "I'll be careful. Call me if you or Callie get anything else on Sasha."

"Will do."

--

Fenton pulled into the parking lot of the hospital and quickly got out of the car. He only had a few minutes to check on Doug Stanton before he had to head back to the studio to meet up with Frank and question more suspects. He had his eye on a few people, especially since quite a few of them had a hand in the creation of the show, but there was one last thing he had wanted to confirm especially after talking to Joe earlier this morning.

He started walking towards the entrance to the hospital with his thoughts still going a mile a minute until a familiar voice came from behind him.

"I wouldn't do that, Mr. Hardy."

Fenton froze in his tracks. The voice belonged to David Berringer and judging by the sudden coldness of metal at the back of his neck, the man was holding a gun on him.

Whatever suspicions he had were now confirmed. Keeping his emotions in check, Fenton asked. "So what are you going to do with me?"

David replied coldly. "After you tell me where the DVD master copies are, I'm going to kill you like I should have killed your son. After all, I can't allow our operation to fold to the likes of you, now can I? Now move."

--

_I shall go hide again.;) More answers next chapter._


	10. Cliffhanger

Chapter 10 - Cliffhanger

A persistent ringing roused Joe from his nap. Opening his eyes, it took him a moment to remember that he was in a hotel room, and the ringing that had woken him up came from the phone on the bedside table. Leaning over from his bed, he managed to snag the receiver on the first try and bring it to his ear.

His voice was still a little rough after his nighttime encounter in the hospital. "Hello?"

"Joe!" Callie's frantic voice came over the line. "Please tell me Frank is still there."

Joe looked around at clock on the bedside table and realized that it had only been an hour since his brother left. "He's on his way to the studio now to meet dad. What's wrong?"

"Plenty. I finally heard back from one of the sources I checked with. When I mentioned Sasha Jensen to him, he laughed long and loud. Apparently it's not so much of a secret over in New York, but Jensen is not her original last name."

He didn't like where this was going. "Callie, get to the point. Who is she?"

Callie's voice changed to a serious tone. "Her real name is Sasha Mason, as in Raymond Mason's daughter."

Joe gripped the receiver tightly. He had heard his dad mention Raymond Mason before. A long time drug runner with numerous connections, he was a big name on the East coast. Raymond Mason tolerated no failures, and was even known to kill his own people if they crossed him. "How sure is your source?"

"Joe, my source is in law enforcement."

That cinched it for him. "We found that Sasha hopped on a plane to head back to California. If daddy's little girl is in the business-"

Callie finished his thought. "Then Frank and your dad are walking into a trap."

Plan's whirled around in Joe's head until he heard a pounding at the door and he froze. "Callie, I need to go. Call Frank on his cell and see if you can get to him before he gets into the studio."

"Joe-"

The pounding grew louder and he knew his time was short. "I don't have time to explain, Callie. Call Frank."

And with that Joe quickly hung up the phone. He felt that some of his strength had returned, but he was really hoping that he wouldn't have to test out his stamina just yet. However, judging by the pounding on the door and the lack of anyone identifying themselves, he realized that he wasn't going to be that lucky.

Easing himself into a standing position, he quickly shoved everything off of the bedside table and picked it up. It was made of a light wood, but Joe figured it would make an impact on whoever came through the door.

He then heard a splintering sound and the door crashed inward with a tremendous amount of force. A man walked in holding an assault rifle, followed by a woman the Joe immediately recognized as Sasha Jensen, who was armed with a similar weapon.

Joe regarded the two intruders and sized up his chances. Holding up the table high, he growled. "Take one step closer, and I will use this."

Sasha laughed in reply. "Mr. Hardy, do you want your father to live?"

He kept a tight hold on his impromptu weapon. "What do you mean, Miss Jensen, or should I call you _Miss Mason_?"

She winced mockingly as she motioned to her counterpart. "Ouch. Somebody has been doing their research on me. To put it simply, there is a limo outside. In it, my associate David Berringer is holding a gun on your father. I have instructed Mr. Berringer to shoot your father in five minutes unless I am able to return with you in tow. There are now only four minutes left, so what's it going to be?"

* * *

Inside the limo, Fenton stared wearily at David Berringer. Ever since he had been accosted at the hospital, Fenton had been forced into the limo and had been placed under constant guard by David. When they had picked Sasha, Fenton was curious, but quickly caught on that she was running the show, especially when he witnessed her chewing David out over the state of their 'operations' at the studio.

He was roused from his thoughts by the sound of the door opening. Looking up, Fenton watched in silent despair as Joe was herded into the limo and shoved down onto the opposite seat, followed by Sasha and her hired guard.

He turned quickly to his son. "Joe, are you all right?"

Joe nodded weakly in reply.

In the background he could hear the sound of the limo as they pulled out from their current location.

"Well, our cleanup is almost complete," Sasha commented as she put her rifle down beside her. "I wouldn't have had to come back here if you had done what I asked, Mr. Berringer."

"Hey, killing people wasn't part of the bargain, Miss Mason," David Berringer retorted. "It wasn't our fault that girl got killed by an overdose. We were well on our way to cleaning up the rest of this when you came."

"Well he's still alive isn't he?" She snapped, pointing to Joe. Running a hand through her short red hair, Sasha sighed. "Please tell me that you deleted the electronic copies of Season one at least."

David nodded. "We have deleted the Mystery Party footage we had stored electronically. Now all we have to do is get someone to bring the DVD master copies to us."

"You will never find those master copies," Fenton growled. "I made sure they were One hundred percent safe before I left to check on Mr. Stanton."

"Ah yes, good old Doug," Sasha mused. "I had never realized the sap was so perceptive until David here warned me that he was talking to you. We shall have to make him the next part of our cleanup."

"Easily done," David reassured her as he pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Joe. "Now, call your brother and let him know the score."

Joe spoke up. "Mr. Berringer, You know other people are going to put two and two together. You can't get this past the public for long."

David Berringer grinned. "Boy, who do you think REALLY runs SBN studios?"

* * *

Frank had made it through the SBN security checkpoint and had parked outside of Building One when his cell phone rang. When he checked the ID, he noticed an unfamiliar number.

Not seeing any sign of his father, he got out of his car and answered his phone. "Hello?"

There was a moment of silence before he heard a familiar voice. "Frank."

It was Joe, but something was wrong. Frank could tell it from the tone of his voice. "Joe, what is it? What's wrong?"

Tone of Joe's voice was tense. "David Berringer has both dad and I at gunpoint. He wants the DVD master copies of Mystery Party. Sasha's the head of all of this and-"

Frank's heart lurched as he heard the sounds of a scuffle and then an audible groan. Moment's later he heard a different voice on the line. "This is David Berringer. I do hope you got the message, Frank, because I do not want to repeat myself. Be at studio twenty on the lot within the hour with the DVD master copies, or your brother and father will meet their untimely end."

David's arrogance both angered and scared Frank. "If you hurt either of them-"

His declaration was met with silence as the connection was severed. Frank closed his cell phone and silently cursed in frustration. Things were coming to a head, but for all the wrong reasons. Despite David's demands, Frank had no clue where his dad had stashed the master copies.

It was then that Frank heard a noise behind him.

Turning around quickly, he found Martin Berringer holding a gun pointed straight at him.

* * *

_And hence this is why the chapter is aptly titled Cliffhanger. More soon, I promise! (flees)_


	11. Brothers Divided

Chapter 11 - Brothers Divided

Frank stared at Martin with an inquisitive eye. He had a feeling that the head of the studios was involved, but something about the whole situation was off.

For one thing, Martin Berringer looked like he was sweating bullets, and for another the man was holding a gun pointed right at him.

Still holding his cell phone, Frank slowly raised his hands in the air. He decided to try talking to the man, if only to find out how far his involvement went. "Martin, what are you doing?"

Martin looked at him wild-eyed. "It wasn't supposed to be this way. You and your family were supposed to stop him."

Frank looked at him in some confusion. "Stop him? You mean your brother?"

The man nodded nervously. "This studio was in real trouble. None of our shows were highly rated. David came to me, promised me that with the capital that he could infuse into the studio that we would be in the top three. Money poured in from advertisers and his investors."

Frank stared at Martin, trying to find any openings. The man's hand was wavering, but the gun was still aimed in his direction and he was looking more nervous by the minute. _I'm running out of time._

And that was when Frank's cell phone started ringing.

When Martin's gaze shifted to the phone, Frank reacted with a high kick that sent the gun flying out of Martin's hand. The man's eyes widened in shock, and then he fell to his knees sobbing.

The ring tone had been distinctive, and a check of the ID confirmed who it was. Frank gratefully answered his phone. "Hello Callie? I owe you more than you will ever know, but I need to call you back."

Frank quickly shut off his phone and pocketed it, all the while moving quickly to grab the gun from where it had landed on the ground. He then approached Martin, who had not moved from his position on the ground.

"When did you find out what your brother was truly doing?" Frank asked him calmly.

Martin had stopped sobbing and looked up at him. "When they were casting for season one of Mystery Party. He insisted on being on the selection committee that viewed the audition tapes. Later I had learned that he was the driving force behind getting Sasha Jensen on the show, despite the protests of the producers and the committee members. When I called him on it, he threatened me and the studio, saying that he had enough money and influence to have me ousted as the head of the studio."

To Frank it still didn't explain everything, but a quick check of his watch showed that he had roughly thirty minutes before David's deadline was up. It was a wild shot, but he decided to ask. "David has my brother and father. He's demanding the DVD master copies of the first season of Mystery Party. Do you know where they are?"

Martin nodded reluctantly. "Your father came to me while I was in the preview room and asked if he could place something in my office while he went to check on Doug. I didn't see what it was, but I figured that was the only thing that it could be. David will kill us both if he doesn't get what he wants."

"Your brother is sloppy," Frank retorted. "Wake up! Even if we give him what he is looking for, David will want to get rid of any witnesses - namely us. From what Joe told me, Sasha is running the show anyway, so your brother might not even have a say in the matter."

Martin paled at his words. His voice was low and full of regret. "I - I just wanted to save SBN. I didn't think it would lead to this."

There was little time left, and Frank was nearing the end of his rope where Martin was concerned. The man had been used, but that still didn't absolve him of guilt either. Frank offered him a hand and helped to pull him to his feet. "You need to be careful who you trust, Mr. Berringer. This experience should have proven that easily, but if you want to prevent two more murders and get your brother for what he has done, I need your help."

Frank could see in them a lingering doubt in the man's eyes along with something else, as if a decision had been made in his mind.

Martin Berringer, President of SBN studios, squared his shoulders and looked him in the eye. "Tell me what you want me to do."

* * *

_Tis a short one, but I wanted to show a little more insight to Martin before the final showdown. One final chapter to go. Hope to see you then! _


	12. Brothers Reunited

**Mystery Party**  
Chapter 12 - Brothers Reunited

Studio Twenty on the SBN lot was located on the far end of the lot. Large and cavernous in size, it had once been home to a children's scifi show that had long since run its course. Now it was full of props from assorted shows, and with the low lighting it made the whole place seem dark and oppressive.

Joe had paid particular attention when he and his dad were herded into the center of the building by David and the guard that had accompanied Sasha. In the center of the building was a large piece of iron scaffolding which almost spanned to the height of the studio's ceiling.

"Right, tie Mr. Hardy to the scaffolding," David ordered the guard as he pointed his gun at Joe. "I will take Joe with me."

"And what if I don't want to go?" Joe asked coolly.

As soon as Joe asked the question a series of gunshots sounded, echoing loudly throughout the studio. Turning, he saw that Sasha had walked into the studio with her rifle pointed towards the ceiling.

"You either do as my associate says," Sasha demanded, "or I will aim at your father next."

There were no openings Joe could see and as long as his dad was under guard, he had no choice in the matter. Reluctantly he stepped forward towards David. "Let's get this over with then."

* * *

Frank had parked one studio away from number twenty and slowly walked towards his target. In his hands, he clutched a DVD case.

Everything was prepared and in place, or at the least it would soon be. Now the rest of it was up to him.

The main sliding doors to studio twenty were slightly open, and in the doorway he could see Joe along with David behind him. When Frank was thirty feet away, David stopped him. "That's close enough, Frank."

Frank stopped. He held up the DVD case high so that David could see it and shouted. "I have what you are looking for, so why don't you come over here and get it?"

"I have a better idea," David countered. "I am going to send Joe over to get it from you and bring it back to me. No tricks now or your brother will get a bullet in his back."

Frank tensed as he watched David shove Joe forward. His brother stumbled but quickly recovered and walked over to him.

He asked in a low voice. "You okay? Where's dad?"

Joe nodded. "Dad's tied up in the middle of the studio. You have a plan I hope?"

"Hey, get back over here! We don't have all day!" David shouted.

Grinning, Frank pushed the DVD case into Joe's hands and spoke quickly. "The plan's simple - make sure he opens this case and then be prepared to move."

He watched as a wave of confusion passed over Joe's face until he finally looked at the DVD case again. Joe eyes widened, and then he returned the smile before heading back to David.

As Joe and David went back into studio, Frank quickly moved from his position. _Phase one complete, now for phase two._

David prodded Joe back into the studio and over to the point where he was standing next to his father. Snatching the DVD case from Joe's hands, David carried his prize over to Sasha. The guard eyed stood only a few feet away, but glared at Joe wearily.

Due to the way he was tied up, Fenton was in a sitting position on the floor, his hands slightly above him tied tightly to one of the rungs on the scaffolding.

Joe moved in closer to his dad and whispered. "Frank's got a plan. There's a surprise in the DVD box."

"I'll match you one better," Fenton grinned as he matched his son's tone of voice. "I've been working on my bonds while Sasha and her guard were watching the exchange between you and Frank. I'm almost free."

Joe looked around carefully and noticed that David was still talking to Sasha and had not opened the case yet. "I'm going to go keep tabs on them. Things are going to move quick and fast."

"Be careful Joe," his father warned.

* * *

Frank checked his watch for the sixth time in as many minutes. It had nearly been ten minutes since David and Joe walked back in there, and he took the opportunity to sneak closer to the building.

All of his work and planning hinged upon the next few moments.

Suddenly he heard a single loud bang.

_Gotcha._

Frank grabbed for a small walkie-talkie he had clipped to his belt and quickly spoke into it. "Phase two is a go."

"Roger," Martin Berringer's voice came in reply from the walkie-talkie. "Turning up the surrounding speakers."

Seconds later, sounds of sirens filled the air, along with various rough voices declaring themselves to be from law enforcement. Frank grinned. If he hadn't known that all of the noise was pre-recorded sound effects, he could have sworn that it all sounded like the real thing.

Turning his attention back to the building, he could now see plumes of smoke wafting out from the front of the building. Frank knew that the small smoke charge that he had packed in the DVD case wouldn't last for long, so he took off running towards the entrance.

* * *

One moment Joe had been watching David and Sasha talking, and then the next he saw David open the DVD case. He had to shield his eyes as a quick flash and smoke started to billow forth where they had been standing.

Joe smirked as he watched them get surrounded by the smoke.

That was also when he heard the guard shout and rush towards them with his rifle at the ready.

_I'm getting tired of this.  
_  
Joe went low, rushing towards the guard. He wasn't as fast as he would have liked, for the guard was able to anticipate him and block his advance, shoving Joe roughly to the ground.

Dazed, Joe looked up as the guard advanced menacingly on him.

Suddenly, the noise of sirens and voices filled the air. The guard stopped and looked around wild eyed. However, before Joe could take advantage of the distraction, he saw that the guard stiffened unnaturally, then toppled forward to the ground in a heap. There behind him stood his father, and Joe couldn't help but grin. "That was perfect timing, dad."

His dad extended a hand and helped him to his feet. "We better get out of here before the others figure out those are just sound effects."

Joe listened to the sirens sounding and realized what his father had meant. "Those are canned sound effects. When Frank comes up with a plan he doesn't do anything halfway, does he?"

* * *

Frank made it to the entrance of the studio and peeked inside. The smoke had thinned out and David and Sasha were looking around wildly with their backs to him and their rifles at the ready. His plan had worked to the letter, but now he had to take advanatage of the moment without getting shot.

He advanced forward by staying flat against the door and slowly inching his way around and inside. So far everything was going well.

As he closed within mere feet of them, Sasha chose that moment to turn around.

Frank reacted quickly with a roundhouse kick that sent the rifle flying from her hands. Sasha howled in pain and rushed him but he was able to switch up and tackle her head on, forcing her to the ground. Frank then tried to pin her arms down, but instead found himself being lifted up and his arms being forced behind him painfully.

David's voice was loud and harsh against his ear. "You and your family have ruined everything!"

The sound effects that Martin had started were still blaring in the background, making it hard to think. Sasha was struggling to get to her feet, and Frank was beginning to think that he bit off more than he could chew.

Suddenly, a weight crashed into David and he released his hold on Frank. Whirling around, Frank saw that his father had been the one to take David down and had managed to knock him face down on the ground. He moved in to help when his father ordered, "I've got David. Get Sasha."

Nodding, Frank turned to find that Sasha had managed to get to her feet and started rushing to pick up her gun. He dove at her once again, managing to grab onto her legs and they both went down hard. She twisted in his grasp and tried to break free, groping for her gun that was mere inches away. Seconds later Joe joined him, grabbing for Sasha's arms and pinning them against the ground.

The siren sound effects they had heard were now joined with the sounds of real ones.

* * *

Fenton Hardy smiled wearily as he watched the FBI agents take away both of the Berringer brothers. It was amazing to think that in the course of a month they had come to Hollywood to investigate reports of cheating on a reality show and ended up busting a designer drug ring in the process.

Leaning against the side of the studio, he looked over at his sons who were standing beside him. "That was a good plan you had, Frank."

"I can't take all of the credit," Frank stated, "after I managed to calm Martin down, I asked for his help in distracting David and Sasha since I knew that the authorities wouldn't be able to get here in time for the deadline. We raided the special effects department and loaded up a DVD case with a miniature smoke grenade. It provided the initial distraction while Martin got to the sound effects board for this building to play a looped tape of sound effects of police sirens and authorities."

"Hopefully the FBI will go easy on him since he helped us, but I'm just glad that this is all over and-" Joe started to say before a familiar muffled ring tone interrupted him. He turned to his brother. "Frank, isn't that your phone?"

Frank's smile faded as the realization struck him. "I forgot to call Callie back!"

Joe laughed, "At this rate you're going to owe her a week's worth of dates."

Frank grimaced as he fished in his pocket for his cell phone. "Fine by me. If I never see another reality TV show again, it'll be too soon."

In the midst of the chaos and the flashing sirens, the cameraman on the scene for Entertainment Nightly News activated his feed and pointed at Bradley, signaling that they were on the air. Ever composed, Bradley chose to stand in front of a police car parked outside the studios and make his report.

"This is Bradley Watson for Entertainment Nightly News, coming to you once again from SBN studios. Tonight we have breaking news to report. According to sources at the scene, a major drug operation has been busted in true Hollywood style. Arrested was David Berringer, brother of Martin Berringer, who is the head of the studios. He is reportedly going to be put up on charges of drug trafficking and attempted murder along with Sasha Jensen, season one winner of SBN's hit show 'Mystery Party'. Martin Berringer is currently being held as a material witness. The FBI along with local police have refused to give any statements, but judging by the amount of FBI and police here at the scene, this is a situation that isn't going to go away anytime soon. There is also no word if 'Mystery Party' will ever resume production on their current season. Starleigh, back to you in the studio."

* * *

_Ta-da! Sorry I took so long. Life happened and well- it went sorta downhill. I would like to thank my readers for seeing me through my second Hard Boys adventure, and if another idea rears its head, I will be back! Till then I will be around reading and enjoying some fic. Hope you enjoy it._


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